The present invention relates to an orthopedic appliance and especially to an orthopedic brace for treating lateral curvature of the spine or scoliosis.
Scoliosis is the abnormal lateral curvature of the spine and maybe postural, a congenital deformity or the result of a neurological disease such as poliomyelitis. Scoliosis tends to run in families and is four times more common in girls than in boys.
A wide variety of orthopedic appliance have been utilized in the past for the treatment of various conditions including orthopedic braces for treating scoliosis. One such system utilizes a girdle or corset fitted to the wearers body and positioned around the pelvis and chest and appropriate attachments for the neck. Another prior structure utilizes a prefabricated girdle to which the super structure may be attached. One prior appliance is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,376 which unit utilizes various bars and straps joined by a rigid pelvic band positioned about the hips of the wearer and flexible iliac crest members on each side at the crest for top of the pelvic structure. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,129 a scoliosis brace is shown for treating lateral curvature of the spine and has a hip pad and chest pad joined together and joins with straps around the patients body and over his shoulder and allows for the adjustable tension means for engaging the body tangentially to point of greatest convexity of the spine. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,336 a scoliosis orthotic system has an anterior panel and a pair of posterior panels connected by pelvic bands and iliac crest members. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,841 shows an adjustable supportive and dynamic orthotic device for raising and supporting the shoulder of a surgical patient, while U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,859 shows an orthopedic appliance for the treatment of scoliosis having a plurality of adjustable pads innerconnected to the body of the patient.
The present invention differs from the prior art in that it is an orthopedic appliance for treating scoliosis only while the patient is asleep or in a lying position and forms a full body brace of two shells innerconnected to allow for adjustment of the curve on the patient and also provides for specific padding along the center of the inner curve and along the end portions of the outer curve shell or at the points where pressure applied by the brace to the patient. The present invention differs from all prior art previously described in that the bending and thus correcting force is applied directly to the spine and not indirectly through lateral and tangential forces to various parts of the body. An orthopedic appliance with a rigid body type requires straps specifically allowing for the adjustment of the pair of shells as well as slots to allow for curvature expansion of one of the shells. It allows the patient to wear the brace while asleep and then not have to wear the brace during daylight hours where it would generally impractical to wear an arcuate rigid body brace. The bend in the brace is so severe that the patient cannot stand while wearing the brace.